תהלים, פרק ס״ט, פסוק כ״ח

A powerful appeal for divine justice calls upon God to hold the wicked fully accountable for their actions. It is a request to apply the strictest measure of judgment, ensuring that every wrongdoing is counted and that divine grace is entirely withheld from those who persist in their cruelty. The plea asks God to add to the existing burden of their guilt. One perspective views this as a request to attach a specific, additional offense to the total number of sins they have already committed [מצודת דוד]. This additional offense might be the sheer pride and boasting they display over their wicked actions [אבן עזרא], or the cruel enjoyment they derive from causing harm [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A unique approach suggests that the wicked falsely justify their actions by claiming to act as God's messengers; the request is that this ultimate hypocrisy should rise to the surface and stand out glaringly above all their other faults [מלבי״ם].

Alternatively, the appeal for added guilt can be understood simply as a demand for an appropriate penalty, asking God to deliver the exact punishment their actions deserve [רד״ק, מאירי]. Others suggest a generational accumulation of guilt, asking God to combine the sins of their ancestors with their own, since they stubbornly continue down the same destructive path [מאירי]. Another view focuses on God's usual patience. Normally, God shows grace by overlooking a person's first few offenses. Here, the plea asks God to suspend that rule for the wicked, holding them strictly accountable for every single wrong deed starting from the very first one [אלשיך].

Complementing this call for strict accountability is a plea to completely exclude the wicked from divine righteousness. The primary approach among commentators is that God should withhold the mercy, compassion, and charity He typically extends to His creations and to the nation of Israel [מצודת דוד, מאירי, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. By removing this mercy, they are also denied the charity of having their initial sins forgiven [אלשיך]. Furthermore, this denial ensures that the wicked will not be able to successfully justify their evil actions or present themselves to the world as righteous people [מלבי״ם]. Finally, some commentators look ahead to the ultimate consequence of this strict judgment, explaining that the wicked should be barred from the afterlife, ensuring they are never recorded in the book of life alongside the righteous [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מלבי״ם].